As both faithful readers know, I was born in Oklahoma and have Native American or American Indian blood. I’ve never made too much of it, but over the years I’ve collected, and been given pictures, proverbs and stories handed down through the various Indian tribes, especially Cherokee. Sometimes some of them just pop into my head for no apparent reason — I’m sure it has something to do with the current situation or something that someone says that sparks that memory.
Yesterday, two popped into my head — “You should never criticize someone until you’ve walked two miles in his moccasins. By then you’re two miles away — and — you’ve got his moccasins.”
The other was a story of good and evil….
An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealously, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.”
The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee quietly replied, “The one you feed.”
—30—
I like the wolf story